Smoker&#39;s pipe and means for keeping same lighted



Jan. 16, 1968 c. J. WEBER 3,363,633

- SMOKER'S PIPE AND MEANS FOR KEEPING SAME LIGHTED Filed Feb. L, 1966 IINVENTOR. CLAUDE .1 M5556 United States Patent M 3,363,633 SMOKERS PIPEAND MEANS FOR KEEPING SAME LIGHTED Claude J. Weber, Coles Park, SpringLake, Mich. 49456 Filed Feb. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 524,149 7 Claims. (Cl.131-178) This invention relates to smoking pipes, and more particularlyto a novel apparatus for such a pipe which continuously maintains thesame in a lighted or ignited condition, so that the pipe will not go outwhen it is temporarily laid aside and not actually smoked.

As all persons are aware who have even attempted to smoke a piper,smoking pipes have a notorious habit of going out during any period,however brief, when smoke is not actually being drawn through the stemof the pipe. Indeed, pipes will sometimes go out even when one issteadily smoking them. This is annoying enough to the verteranpipesmoker who long since has become used to it, but to a person havingonly brief experiences with pipe smoking the persistent annoyances areoften great enough to discourage and dissuade one from even attemptingto actually get to enjoy the pipe smoking. This is particularly true ofpeople who have previously become accustomed to making cigars andcigarettes, especially the latter, and who in accordance withpresent-day trends have become aware of the alleged dangers and hazardsof cigarette smoking and would like to switch to a pipe.

One of the great attractions of cigarette smoking is felt to be in thefreedom which it affords the smoker. That is, a cigarette can be lightedand laid aside for any desired perido, and so long as at least part ofit remains unconsumed, whenever the smoker again picks up the cigaretteit will still be lighted and his first puff will immediately bring thedesired smoke into his mouth and lungs without delay. The pipe, on theother hand, is a completely different instrument. As stated above, thetobacco in a pipe does not remain lighted even for brief periods of timeif the pipe is not continuously smoked. Since constant puffing does notcorrespond to many peoples concept of a satisfying or satisfactorysmoking technique, pipe smokers, whether veteran or novice, frequentlyallow their pipes to go out and are constantly seen to be relightingthem.

Accordingly, it is a major object of the present invention to provide anapparatus for substantially continuously causing air from without thepipe to enter the bowl thereof and pass over the lighted tobacco locatedtherein, to thereby constantly maintain the pipe in a lighted condition.

A further important object of this invention is to provide an apparatusof the character described which is arranged to direct a steam ofambient air from without the pipe into the top of the bowl thereof, andagainst the lighted tobacco therein.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide anapparatus of the foregoing nature which may be removably secured to aconventional pipe, or transferred from one such pipe to another, toconvert any such pipe into the new form contemplated by the invention,which does not go out when not constantly smoked.

Additional objects, together with the alvantages provided thereby, willbecome increasingly apparent to persons familiar with smoking pipes uponconsideration of the ensuing specification and its appended claims,particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingssetting forth a preferred embodiment of the novel device.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a typical pipe with the inventive deviceattached thereto;

3,363,633 Patented Jan. 16, 1968 FIG. 2 is a front elevation of thestructure seen in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation, with portions in centralsection, of the device apart from the pipe to which it is normallymounted for use.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show forpurposes of illustration a typical pipe having a bowl portion 10 andstem portion 12, to which a preferred embodiment of the device, seen at14, may be secured for use, preferably in a detachable manner. As isevident from the drawings, the device is housed within a generallyL-shaped housing or body having a pair of generally right-angled legportions 16 and 18. Leg por* tion 16 preferably lies parallel to andimmediately adjacent the stem 12 and lower portion of the bowl 10beneath the pipe, while leg portion 18 rises vertically alongside thebowl. Leg portion 18 has a laterally-oriented terminus 20, which extendsover the edge of the bowl 10 and over the customary opening in the topof the bowl. Both legs 16 and 18 are generally tubular in form, as isthe terminus 20 of leg 18, and leg 16 is preferably rounded orcylindrical in form. Thus, an hourglass-shaped clip of thin, resilientmaterial such as spring steel or the like may conveniently be utilizedto mount the composite device 14 in the illustrated position wtih amplerigidity for normal use, while nonetheless allowing the device to bedetached from the pipe whenever desired.

As best seen in FIG. 3, the rounded tubular leg 16 sli-dably receives aminiaturized DC motor 24 and a small battery 26, preferably of the penlite size. The motor 24 has a rotory blower or impeller 28 attached toits drive shaft and projecting into the area at the base of the L-shapedtubular structure, where leg 16 joins leg 18. An annular stop ring 30 ispreferably mounted within leg 16 for the purpose of locating orpositioning the motor 24 therewithin, with the forward lateral edges ofthe motor abutting against the stop ring. Also, a tubular sleeve 32 ofresilient padding material such as foam rubber or the like preferably isinserted into tubular leg 16 so as to surround the motor 24 and providea mounting therefor, for absorbing the minute vibrations inherent in allsuch motors. The motor 24 is of a known commercially available type,which is energized at the rear or bottom of its case, and the axialalignment of the motor and battery is such as to bring the protrudinganode of the battery into contact with the rear of the motor to energizeit when the battery is forced against the same. A cap structure 34 isprovided for closing the battery end of the leg 16, with the cappreferably threading onto the end extremity of the leg. In order toprovide means for actuating and deactuating the motor, cap 34 may have athreaded aperture at its center, through which a threaded plunger 36 mayextend to contact the rear or end of the battery 26 and push the sameagainst the end of the motor 24 when threaded inwardly, as by turning acontrol knob 38. This of course actuates the motor to drive the blower28, and deactuation is accomplished by opposite rotation of the controlknob 33.

Tubular leg 18 of the device defines an inlet aperture 40 located in thefront surface of the device, i.e., forwardly of the pipe bowl 10 (FIGS.2 and 3). Inlet aperture 48 is preferably located in axial alignmentwith the blower 28 and is relatively close thereto. The hollow interiorof leg 18 and its offset terminus 20 thus provide an open conduitleading from the rotory blower 28 through a discharge or outlet aperturein the end of the terminus portion. From this, it will be clear thatwhen control knob 38 is turned sufiiciently to bring battery 26 intocontact with the case of the electric motor 24, the blower 28 will bedriven so as to draw air inward through the inlet 40 and provide agentle stream or current of air which flows upward through leg 18 andoutward through the terminus 20 and its outlet, directly into the top ofthe bowl 10, and against the burning embers of tobacco located therein.Only a gentle stream of air is required to maintain the tobacco in alighted condition even though one may not actually be smoking the pipeby drawing smoke through the stem portion 12, and the noise level andvibration of the motor 24 is so minute and the stream of air providedthereby is so gentle that neither are really discernible to the smoker.

From the foregoing, it will be clear that the invention provides a meansfor greatly enhancing the smoking of a pipe, since one may lay the pipedown even for prolonged intervals, and it will nonetheless remainlighted and provide the desired quantities of smoke immediately upon thevery first draw or puff. Further, the smoke so produced will be asmellow and flavorful as when the pipe was initially filled and lighted,and consequently the satisfaction of pipe smoking is considerablyaugmented.

It is quite conceivable that upon considering the foregoing disclosure,others may design embodiments of the inventive concept involved whichare different from the preferred embodiment shown and described herein,or certain changes in structural details which nonetheless directlyutilize the basis of the invention. Consequently, all such furtherembodiments and changes in structure as clearly incorporate the conceptsof the invention are to be considered as within the scope of the claimsappended herebelow, unless these claims by their language specificallystate otherwise.

I claim:

1. In a smoking pipe of the type having vertically disposed bowl portionin which tobacco is burned to produce smoke and a stem portion throughwhich such smoke may be drawn from said bowl, the improvementcomprising: means for maintaining such tobacco in an ignited condition;said means including apparatus physically associated with said pipe tobe carried thereby, for substantially continuously causing air fromwithout the pipe to enter said bowl at greater than atmospheric pressureand pass over the lighted tobacco located therein, said apparatus beingarranged to direct at least one stream of ambient air from without saidbowl into the bowl and against the lighted tobacco therein, and at leastone conduit means through which said presurized air is passed, saidconduit means extending over said bowl and having a generally open endportion oriented generally downwardly toward the top of said bowl tothereby direct said stream out said end and into said bowl formaintaining the combustion of tobacco in said bowl.

2. The improvement in smoking pipes defined in claim 1, wherein saidapparatus further includes a rotating impeller means arranged to pumpsaid ambient air through said conduit means and out said end.

3. The improvement in smoking pipes defined in claim 4. 2, wherein saidapparatus further includes a self-contained source of motive power foroperating said impeller means.

4. The improvement in smoking pipes defined in claim 3, wherein saidapparatus is removably securable to said pipe.

5. The improvement in smoking pipes defined in claim 1, wherein saidapparatus comprises: a tubular structure removably securable to saidpipe; a self-contained source of electrical power located in saidstructure; an electric motor Within said structure and coupled to saidpower source to be energized thereby; a rotary blower within saidstructure and arranged to be driven by said motor; an inlet means insaid structure for providing air to said blower; and an outlet meanscommunicating with said structure and oriented downwardly toward the topof said bowl for directing a stream of air provided by said blower intosaid bowl.

6. The improvement in smoking pipes defined in claim 5, wherein saidtubular structure is generally L-shaped, having one leg locatedgenerally parallel to and adjacent said stem portion and another leggenerally parallel to and adjacent said bow portion, the end extremityof said other leg extending the top edge of said bowl and forming saidoutlet means.

7. The improvement in smoking pipes defined in claim 6, wherein saidsource of power, said motor, and said blower are all located in said oneleg of said structure, with said blower located nearest the conjunctionof said one leg with said other leg; said other leg defining an openingin proximity with said conjunction to form said inlet means; said otherleg forming a conduit means through which said blower forces air drawnthrough said inlet opening upward over the top of said bowl and thendownward into the top of said bowl.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 402,681 5/1889 Lindeman 131178 XR1,671,899 5/1928 Hilshansky 131-178 1,855,524 4/1932 Martini 1312,293,225 8/1942 Terrill 13117O 2,510,909 6/1950 Schuelein 131-1712,590,488 3/1952 Bade 131171 2,703,442 5/1955 Long 131 171 2,709,4415/1955 Motsinger 131171 XR 2,761,456 9/1956 Pirrone 131185 XR 3,204,6429/1965 Anspach et al. 131-178 3,318,315 5/1967 'Orter 131-178 XR FOREIGNPATENTS 113,911 3/1918 Great Britain. 503,791 4/1939 Great Britain.

SAMUEL KOREN, Primaly Examiner.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Examiner.

1. IN A SMOKING PIPE OF THE TYPE HAVING VERTICALLY DISPOSED BOWL PORTIONIN WHICH TOBACCO IS BURNED TO PRODUCE SMOKE AND A STEM PORTION THROUGHWHICH SUCH SMOKE MAY BE DRAWN FROM SAID BOWL, THE IMPROVEMENTCOMPRISING: MEANS FOR MAINTAINING SUCH TOBACCO IN AN IGNITED CONDITION;SAID MEANS INCLUDING APPARATUS PHYSICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PIPE TOBE CARRIED FROM THEREBY FOR SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY CAUSING AIR FROMWITHOUT THE PIPE TO ENTER SAID BOWL AT GREATER THAN ATMOSPHERIC PRESSUREAND PASS OVER THE LIGHTED TOBACCO LOCATED THEREIN, SAID APPARATUS BEINGARRANGED TO DIRECT AT LEAST ONE STREAM OF AMBIENT AIR FROM WITHOUT SAIDBOWL INTO THE BOWL AND AGIANST-THE LIGHTED TOBACCO THEREIN, AND AT LEASTONE CONDUIT MEANS THROUGH WHICH SAID PRESURIZED AIR IS PASSED, SAIDCONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING OVER SAID BOWL AND HAVING A GENERALLY OPEN ANDPORTION ORIENTED GENERALLY DOWNWARDLY TOWARD THE TOP OF SAID BOWL TOTHEREBY DIRECT SAID STREAM OUT SAID END AND INTO SAID BOWL FORMAINTAINING THE COMBUSTION OF TOBACCO IN SAID BOWL.